Inner Demons
"Inner Demons" is the 18th episode of Once Upon a Virus. Summary Joe has two wishes left to make, and James plans to speed things along by kidnapping him and his genie and forcing him to come to terms with the darkness inside himself, while Primadonna Girl plans to have a little fun with her husband. Over in Storywik, the Modem is charged using the town's reserve of fairy dust, and just might be able to open a portal to Wikia through which Joe and Josh can come home. And in the past, Joe meets someone in foster care who manages to warp his view of the system. Plot Joe, at about twelve years old, can be seen running through the night, splashing through a puddle as the shot reveals that he's getting further and further away from a children's care home. He continues running through the town he's in, and eventually makes it to the nearby bus station. However, once he's inside, he sees two policemen there searching for him, and so he tries hiding behind a seat. When it looks like the policemen have given up, he emerges, only to be grabbed by a third officer. "C'mon now," the policeman says, taking him out of the station by the hand and leading him to a worried-looking woman waiting outside: Joe's social worker, Samantha Silver. "There you are," she says, "Joe, you have to stop doing this!" "Well I wouldn't need to run away if you didn't keep catching me," Joe points out, annoyed. "You need to stop this nonsense," the social worker tells him, "And come home." Joe scoffs at the word home, and begins being escorted away by the woman; he mutters to himself, "I wish I had a real home." "The boy has two wishes left to make," says James 1234 to Primadonna Girl in the present, "And I think I know how to speed them along… I've been reading up on my magic runes lately and there's also this potion I've been meaning to replicate for the longest time…" "Well," says Prima, "Why not get on with it?" "Well, we need something of either the boy, the Evil Bureaucrat or the genie to track them with." "Alas," Prima tells him, "I'm all out of delayed seepage. Although…" she gets an idea. Opening her book, she flicks to the page containing a locator spell, waving her hand over the ink and causing a bottle full of liquid to erect; she then raises it to her mouth and takes a swig, allowing the bottle to sink back into word-form afterwards. "What will that accomplish?" James wonders. "This baby," she explains, "Belongs to the child… hopefully, having done what I just did, it should— Ooh." "What? What is it?" James asks. "I suddenly feel… drawn to him," she explains. She begins walking in a very specific direction, and James follows. "Come on, baby," Prima utters, rubbing her belly, "Let's go find daddy, shall we?" Joe, meanwhile, can be seen hunting a rabbit with a makeshift bow and arrow he's constructed from materials found in the surrounding woods. He fires the arrow and manages to skewer the rabbit when it stops in its tracks; he smiles, proud. "I didn't know you could do archery," Josh points out, having approached without Joe noticing. "There's a lot you don't know about me," Joe points out in turn as he begins approaching the rabbit in order to collect it. "Erm, Joe!" Dlrgirl is then heard exclaiming as she runs towards the two men, "Josh!" "Dlr? What is i—" Joe starts, looking at her, but then he sees James and Prima approaching with smug smiles on their faces. The locator spell wears off with Prima being within Joe's proximity and she shakes a little, rubbing her belly again and whispering, "Good job, sweetheart." Josh quickly readies himself to use defensive magic; however, Prima readies her book more quickly, and tells him, "Not so fast." The ink from the pages envelopes them both, and causes them to teleport away in swarms of black mist. James is now alone with Joe and Dlrgirl, and so Joe raises his makeshift bow and fires one of the sharpened twigs he's been using for arrows. James simply catches it right before it would have hit him in the chest, and he snaps it in two. He then throws both halves forward, and uses his magic to transform them into ropes, which bind the ankles of both Joe and Dlr, making them fall over. James then approaches them and lifts a large log from nearby with which he plans to knock them both out – from down on the floor, Joe appears worried. Joe appears worried as the group mother at his new foster home introduces him to all the new children, who stare at him blankly. They are encouraged to make Joe feel welcome, but when the group mother leaves, Joe simply heads up to his new room and begins unpacking his things. As he does so, a child entering the bedroom can be heard saying, "Nice shirt. Mind if I borrow it?" and he snatches it from the case. "Um…" Joe utters, "That's, um… m-mine." "That's, um… m-mine," the child says in a mock-baby voice, before spotting a teddy bear still owned by Joe. He snatches that as well and begins laughing, mocking Joe by calling him a baby. "Give it back, twerp!" a girl's voice is heard yelling, and the obnoxious boy turns to see a blonde child who also lives in the home. "What do you want?" he asks, laughing. "For you to give this kid his stuff back and leave," the blonde girl says, squaring up to him. "What are you gonna do?" he wonders. "Try me," she tells him, flexing her knuckles. "Whatever," mutters the boy, throwing the shirt and the bear onto the bed before leaving. "Sorry about him," the blonde girl says to Joe, approaching him; she extends her arm and introduces herself as Emma. "I'm Joseph, um, Kahn," he says, shaking her hand. "Kahn, huh? Where'd you pick up that surname?" she wonders. "I was, uh, named for the people that found me, when I was a baby," he explains. "Right," says she. "You don't have a surname?" asks Joe. "I do," Emma admits, "Legally… I just don't see the point in using it. It's just gonna end up changing anyways – I've had half a dozen." "Thanks," he then says, "For protecting me." "Think nothing of it," Emma assures him, smiling. "So," says Joe, continuing to unpack some things from his suitcase as he talks, "All those surnames, huh? You've been fostered a lot?" "By many families, yeah," Emma informs him, "I always get sent back though." "Why's that?" "Because I make it so." Joe looks confused at this, asking if she doesn't want a loving family to come home to at the end of the day, but she answers negatively; "It'd never work out. People are just so… fake, you know? I prefer being by myself anyways. I try running away but of course that never works." "You… you run away too?" Joe asks, stopping. "Sure, I have," she says, "Why? Have you?" He nods, explaining, "Sometimes it's just difficult to cope… you know?" "Well," she tells him, "There's something I can do to help that – come with me." "With me, now," James says as Joe wakes up in the cottage James and Prima were seen inside in the previous episode, "Atta boy. Good to see you're both awake now." Regaining his senses, Joe realizes that he's tied to a chair which is stuck to the ground, as is Dlrgirl75, who's sat opposite him in the rather sizable kitchen of this cottage in the woods. A hammer and nails lay on a nearby table, and a kettle is slowly starting to boil atop a cooker. "Are we all sitting comfortably?" James asks sarcastically, "Then I'll begin." James takes out his small knife before tearing Joe's shirt open a little; enough to reveal his bare chest. He then takes the knife and begins to carve into the young man's flesh. Joe writhes in pain and Dlrgirl looks horrified as the blood is so skilfully drawn… but then James steps back, and he pockets the knife, and Joe looks surprised. "Th-that's it?" he asks, "Your grand torture?" "Oh, dear boy… not yet," James assures him, "That was merely the carving of the rune." Joe then looks down and sees that there's a symbol cut into his chest. "Such a rune," James explains, "Should activate a very powerful spell which will put you through an emotional torture far worse than anything physical I could inflict on you, and you're going to have to wish for it to stop." He smiles, adding, "You're about to be haunted by your own regrets." Mary's grave is seen resting in the yards of Storywik's local church; Villain's and Disney's can be seen on either side of it as the shot moves out to reveal that Justine, Rena and Liz are being led through the graveyard by Dr. Sonya and a still rather grumpy-looking Sannse. The five of them head towards the mausoleum before entering it, with Brad explaining that this is where they found the town's reserve of fairy dust following the Virus' deactivation, during their service for Rappy. The mausoleum remained empty throughout the Virus' duration, but it prevented people from ever going inside. A small table sits there, and Rena, Justine and Liz watch as the male fairy lifts a floorboard to reveal a stock of magic diamonds, which he easily transforms into glitter-like dust with his magic. Liz places the Modem on the table, and Dr. Sonya asks for Sannse's help with the next part. She reluctantly aids him in transferring the dust into the Modem, whilst Rena places Josh's sword beside it and Justine places down Joe's sock. "Alright," Dr. Sonya says once the process is complete, "In twenty-four hours the Modem should be fully charged and a portal should open, allowing both Joe and Josh to come safe and sound out of the internet." "Let's just hope Kim K doesn't break it first," Liz comments, causing the sysop couple to turn to her. She apologizes, saying she was trying to lighten the mood with humour, but they assure her that the mood couldn't be lighter – they're going to get their son back. As celebration is had, Silvia and Joanna are seen strolling past the churchyards hand-in-hand, talking and laughing, when the latter suddenly sees through the open mausoleum doors and the now-glowing Modem inside. She stops, and Silvia wonders what's wrong. "Oh…" Joanna utters, "It's, um… it's nothing." She continues in her stroll, but still she appears distracted by what she's seen. Joe is seen to still be sitting in his chair, tied there, and he asks aloud when this spell is meant to start taking effect. "What spell?" asks Benjamin Leech, having appeared all of a sudden, and Joe appears shocked as reality slips away – he's just tied to his seat and surrounded by utter blackness. "You look frightened," Ben points out, "Or… awkward even. Could it be because you killed me?" This effects Joe, who's been growing confused, and he utters, "That… that wasn't…" "Wasn't you?" Ben finishes for him, "Well, it sure looked like you… but I suppose it was hard to tell, what with that big energy ball of death flying towards me." "It… it wasn't meant for you…" Joe tries. "No," Ben agrees, "It was meant for Lady Junky. Because killing your mother is so much better! You're a real champ. What a shame it is I couldn't be your new step-daddy. I mean, I only had my whole life ahead of me when you struck me down… my head was clear for the first time in years, the Evil Bureaucrat's spell had worn off… but you just couldn't let me have that, could you?" "You… you seemed happier… when you died…" Joe mutters. Ben contemplates this as Valentina Cunning emerges from behind the chair, asking, "What about me?" "What about you?" Joe wonders. "How do you justify killing me?" she asks. "But you're… I mean, you're a…" "What?" she asks, "A monster?" Suddenly, she reverts to her troll form; "You'd be right, of course. That's what people have spent my whole life telling me, anyway. But it's what's on the inside that counts, like you with all that evil Bizarro in your brain." "You were… evil," Joe recalls. "Is that for you to decide?" wonders DisneyMeerkats, "What about me is so evil? Compared to you and what you've done, I'm practically a saint, honey." "It was him… not me," Joe tries making clear. "No," the troll insists, "You slaughtered me!" She then becomes human again, and says, "Honestly, killing something this pretty… that's a one-way ticket to hell, right? You may as well have stuck God's heart with an arrow…" An arrow is fired into the center of a target as Emma is seen handling a bow at an archery range. She then hands the bow to Joe, having left him with three arrows, telling him it's his turn. He knocks the arrow onto the bow and pulls back, but when he fires, it hits the wall behind the target, and he appears embarrassed. "Here," she says, "Let me show you." She then gets behind him and positions his hands right, allowing him to at least hit the target, even if not the center. "A definite improvement," Emma giggles. "So, um… archery, huh?" Joe asks. "Yeah," Emma explains, "I had these foster parents that were real fanatics. I wasn't so fanatical about them but… the archery was fun. And it's a great way to blow off steam. I love the power the bow gives me… something in my life I actually have some control over." "Where does the lady who runs the home think we are?" Joe wonders. "Doing chores down at the local church," Emma laughs, as does her new friend. Joe shoots his third arrow, and he hits the target dead-center; almost in the same place as Emma's. "Wow," Emma says, impressed, "You're a fast learner, kid." "You picked up killing so fast, didn't you?" asks Rappy 4187 as he too appears, in between Val and Ben, with about two dozen fairies behind him – all of whom Jdg98 burned alive in a mere instant. "My family weren't even able to scatter my ashes because they were sprinkled all over the town like snow, when you burned me in mid-air. And all of those," Rappy says, gesturing his fellow fairies, who all look annoyed. Joe is crying, hating this, and Val begins to laugh. "Aw, you're gonna weep, son? Little tiny bitch gonna cry?" "You could wish for it to stop," Ben points out. "Oh, no, Benny-boy," Val argues, "He doesn't care about us… he only cares about her." Joe's eyes are closed, but when they open and he looks up, Ben, Val, Rappy and the two dozen fairies are gone – he's just surrounded by simple blackness. That is, until… "Hi, Joe," says Natalia as she emerges, "How've you been?" Joe appears distraught. "Why hello, hubby dearest," Primadonna says as she addresses Josh, who she's tied to a stake outside the cottage; he wakes up to her smiling in his face, evilly. "I'm sorry for knocking you out," she says, "But… well, I'm really not. It was super fun!" "What do you want?" Josh wonders. "Your eventual death," Prima tells him bluntly, "But first… I just wanna play. Oh, and there's one little thing I need." She proceeds to pluck a hair from his head and place it into a drawstring pouch which she keeps in her cleavage. "What was that for?" Josh wonders. "Oh, just an aid to the baby…" Prima says. "The what?" Josh asks, shocked. "Oh, you haven't heard? I'm pregnant! Isn't it wonderful?!" Josh is still just shocked. "Why don't you look excited?" Prima wonders, "Haven't you always wanted to be a great-grandfather-slash-step-father to a child? Well, there's no need to worry – there's not going to be an actual baby." "There's not?" Josh asks, relieved. "God no!" exclaims Prima, "Do you really think I want to be raising a scrawling little larva for the rest of my life? And ruin these hips? No, no, no… There's only one baby for me and this one is gonna help me get for her. Well, in a sense. It'll soon die off." "What do you mean?" wonders Josh. "I was impregnated by your grandson – the most powerful magical being in… well, ever. Inside my belly is the potential for such magic. James' magic is killing the baby it belongs to, but the magic itself remains, maturing in my womb. Come due date – which shouldn't be long – I'll be giving birth to such power… combined with your little grandson; ooh, the portal to the new world shall be grand! And then I'll be with my daughter… our daughter… oh, won't that just be lovely?" "And what does James get out of this?" Josh asks. "Like I care!" Prima exclaims, "Heck, I'd have gone up to the fairies' palace in Community and collected what I need to defeat him already if I didn't need him for my plan. I'm a user, Reg. I used you. I used your grandson. And soon enough, I'll be wasting your great-grandchild – and don't think I'm forgetting the genie. Maybe I'll slash her throat after using all three of my wishes. You know… for fun." Josh tells her that she's sick, to which she replies, "Maybe. But take a child away from its mother and you'll soon start to see just how sick a person can become! In fact, I think I might demonstrate…" She takes out her book and turns to the spells of torture. "Let's go to work," she says. "It's good to see you, Joe," Natalia tells him amidst the blackness, "It feels like forever since I've seen you, am I right? Or… maybe time just moves slower in the afterlife." "You're not her…" Joe tells himself. "Aren't I? I look like her, don't I? I have all her memories…" "So do I!" Joe exclaims, "And I miss her, I…" "You do? Then, Joe… why did you kill me?" "I… I didn't," he utters. "Didn't you?" she wonders. "You… you absorbed the internet. Joanna, she—" "Always assigning blame, aren't you?" she points out, "So hesitant to be held accountable for your own actions." "That's not even true," he assures her. "I know someone who might disagree," Natalia tells him, waving her hand and causing the image of Emma to appear. "Her? What does she have to do with any of this?" Joe wonders. "You hurt her, Joe," Natalia explains, "You hurt her bad. Tell me… have you forgiven her yet for what she did to you? It broke her. You broke her." Joe's tears increase. Joe and Emma are seen staying up late together in the latter's bedroom in flashback, playing a game of cards and laughing. "Keep it down!" Emma yells through whisper, trying not to laugh, "You're not supposed to be in here." "I know," Joe says, "I'm just having so much fun." Emma smiles, and places down her hand of cards. "Hey Joe…" she starts, "I've known you for a while now, but… I still feel like I know next to nothing about you." "Don't you?" he asks. "I dunno…" she utters, "Tell me about yourself." "Well, I was found as a baby on the side of a road and brought into the foster system, where I've been ever since. There isn't much to tell, I'm afraid." "Have you, um… have you ever kissed a girl?" she wonders. He gulps. "No…" he admits nervously, scratching the back of his neck. "Close your eyes," she tells him, and Joe follows her instruction. When his eyes are closed, she gives him a small peck on the lips with her own, and he smiles, his eyes still closed. "Wow," he whispers; Emma smiles, holding his hand. "I'm sorry, Emma!" Joe exclaims. "It's alright," Natalia says, making Emma disappear, "You didn't kill her. Not like me…" "I'm sorry…" Joe cries, "I'm so sorry…" "Sorry for what, Joe? You're a murderer. It's quite simple. A filthy, disgusting degenerate, just like you always have been – and you'll never be able to wash the blood from your hands. Just look!" He does, and cries some more when Ben, Val, Rappy and the two dozen fairies reappear behind Mary. He immediately looks down, closing his eyes, unable to deal. "Take a look at the lives you vanquished! Whole futures that will never happen because of you!" Joe's eyes remain closed. "LOOK AT THEM!" Natalia screams, "LOOK AT THEM! LOOK AT THEM! LOOK AT THEM!" "No!" Joe roars, "No… I w—" "What's that?" Natalia asks. "I wish…" Joe utters, "I wish for this to stop!" And, suddenly, everyone behind Natalia melts away, as does she herself. The blackness dissipates, and when Joe opens is eyes he's still tied to a chair opposite Dlrgirl75, and James is standing over him, smiling. The kettle is near boiling-point now. Dlr looks deeply worried, while James asks, "Wasn't that fun? Only one more wish to go…" the kettle whistles, "And I think I have just the way to get it out of you." He removes the kettle from the cooker, and Dlr looks confused now, asking him, "What are you gonna do? Throw some tea at us?" "No, my dear," James assures her, "This is a potion – one which will make anyone compliant to its creator. And now it's ready… so I can use it." "I'll never drink it!" Joe vows, sealing his mouth. "Well then," says James, "It's a lucky thing this potion doesn't need to be drunk, isn't it?" "If it isn't drunk," asks Dlr, "Then how does it work?" "It needs to be poured directly onto the brain," James explains, "Which is where my tools come in handy." Joe looks worried as James puts the kettle down in favor of a hammer and a nail – he then freezes Joe's head in position with his magic, demanding that ther boy keep still. He takes a nail and lines it up with Joe's forehead, telling him to "be brave and take it like I had to". This is when Joe sees past James' fringe – there's a scar of a hole that used to be in the middle of his forehead. But Joe cares not. His skull is about to be drilled. James lines it up perfectly… and then he hammers the nail. Joe screams as it enters his head, cracking his bone but not killing him. Another whack of the hammer. Another scream. Some blood. More hammering. More screams. More blood. Suddenly, however, a burst of magic sends James flying across the room as the nail is spat from Joe's head and the hammer falls to the floor loudly. His eyes are purple. Jdg98 heals the wound he's just sustained in his head and breaks free from his chair with ease. "It's good to be back," he comments. In flashback, Joe is seen knocking on the door to Emma's room. When there's no answer, he simply opens it… but it's empty. He heads downstairs and is shocked by what he sees from the window; he goes outside, where Emma is being greeted into a car by her new adoptive parents. "Joe…" she sees him, and runs towards him. "What is this?" Joe asks. "I'm… I'm being adopted," she explains. "But… but you said it never worked… you said that all people are fake, that you hate—" "I'm sorry," she admits sadly, "I… I was just bitter." Joe begins crying, asking if she was really going to just leave without saying goodbye, but she says she thought it would be easier this way. "Easier for who?" "For both of us…" she tells him. "I'm really sorry," she adds, "But we can still be friends. We can keep in touch!" "Why would I want to keep in touch with you?!" Joe yells, snapping. "Joe…" she utters, trying to hold his hand, but he pulls away. "No!" he screeches, "You lied to me! You're abandoning me! I never want to see you again!" "Joe, please!" "Go!" he orders her, "Enjoy your brand new family while I spend the rest of my life rotting away in here!" "Joe!" Emma calls in tears as he runs inside. She is ushered into the car by her new parents, while Joe enters his room, slamming the door behind him. He sees the teddy bear that Emma managed to save on his first day there… and he tears it to shreds. He cries deeply, collapsing onto his bed. In Joanna's bed, she is seen lying awake while Silvia sleeps peacefully. She can't keep her mind inactive; she can't stop thinking about what she saw earlier… We cut to the glowing Modem, sitting and charging in the locked mausoleum, waiting to open a portal. Soon, blood begins pouring down the walls, forming a pool on the floor. Joanna rises from it, once again in her skimpy red enchanted outfit, and she takes hold of the Modem, unlocking the doors by pressing her hand against them and leaving with the device in tow. "This cottage is ugly," Jdg98 decides over in Wikia, and suddenly the whole building turns to dust. James is just standing there in the forest while Dlrgirl75 is on her knees, the chair and its binds having melted away. Prima and Josh, the latter of which is still strung up to a stake and looking bloodied and bruised, are nearby. Prima looks impressed by Jdg98, who is hovering in mid-air, but Josh just looks incredibly worried. "Ah, an audience," Jdg says when he looks at them, smiling. He then turns to James and thanks him for setting him free; "But I'm afraid I cannot forgive the way your head looks attached to your neck like that. It's just wrong." James looks shocked and frightened, and Jdg's hand crackled with electricity as his power stretches – like yawning after waking up. James just runs, which adds to Jdg's smile. "I love it when they run," he says, his purple eyes glimmering. "How about a real bow and arrow?" he says to himself, making a professional bow appear in one hand and an arrow in the other, with a quiver-full slung over his back. He knocks the bow and draws, firing an arrow after James which transforms into a stick of flames in mid-air. However, it hits the tree beside the Blood Warlock and turns that to dust instead. "All this time cooked up in this softie's head… it's damaged my aim," Jdg comments, "I'll just have to give chase instead." He goes to fly after James, but from the ground, Dlr has stood up and utters, "Joe?" Distracted, Jdg98 lands before her, intrigued by the genie. "You're fascinating," he comments, "I can read your magic… it's so dull right now, but… building. So much potential. You're like a rechargeable battery." "What are you?" she wonders. "I'm the man who made your best friend die," he gloats, "But that Mary bitch isn't here to stop me this time – and no one can absorb the Internet whilst they're in the lands beyond. I am Jdg98, little girl – scourge of the universe! And I think I grow tired of my audience…" He turns to Prima and blinks, causing her to collapse to the floor, screaming in absolute pain. Jdg laughs, finding this amusing, while Josh is horrified. Seeing him, Jdg unties the Evil bureaucrat and makes him float outwards. He then drops him next to his screaming wife and teleports to his side in less than a millisecond. Prima continues to scream, and Josh begs, "Joe, stop!" "I am not 'Joe'!" he insists, "I am Jdg98, dammit! I refuse to go by some filthy mortal name! And you… Reginafan2626… or should I say… The Night is Dark and Full of Terrors… you poor little gardener you… remember when you shot me? I don't think I ever did end up repaying you for that." He moves in closer, promising, "I'm going to make a bullet out of thin air and force it through you at every angle. I'm going to flay you alive, strip by strip, and I'm going to whip each one of your wounds, all without lifting a finger. Oh, I'm about to have so much fun!" With that, metal begins forming out of nothingness as Jdg accounts to his promise… but suddenly, it disappears, and his eyes are returned to their normal color. Joseph Kahn collapses to the floor, and Prima's screams finally stop. She runs away into the woods to reunite with James, as Dlr begins approaching Joe and Josh, the latter of which asks what the hell just happened. "James," Joe explains, "He released Jdg98, but… Natalia's psychic block. It's much stronger than Joanna's, it was able to reconstruct itself. I can feel it… but it's weakened." "That's the least of our worries," Josh says, "Prima is pregnant." Joe's eyes widen. "Is it…" "Yours?" Josh finishes for him, "It appears so… but there's not going to be a baby. She plans to give birth to all of the potential magic the baby would have had; all to open a portal to Storywik." "Oh, dear…" Joe utters. "Did you really cause Mary's death?" Dlrgirl asks meekly as she stands beside Joe. Joe turns from her silently, nodding, and Dlr turns from him too, tears welling up in her eyes. "Alright…" Josh says awkwardly, "I think I know where to go next – Prima, before she tortured me, she hinted that there was something at the Staff palace in Community Central that will allow us to defeat James." "Okay," says Joe, "So that's our next stop?" "Indeed." Josh, Joe and Dlrgirl are seen approaching the Community Central palace… only there's a giant beanstalk beneath it now, and it's all the way at the top. "Oh yeah," says Dlr, "I saw that when I first arrived here from Storywik." (see "Dream of Genie") "Yeah, I forgot I planted that as the Virus was being enacted," Josh remembers. "So… what now?" Joe wonders. "What do you think?" Josh asks in reply, "We climb." Category:Season 2 Category:Episodes Category:Joe-Centric